stokebynightfandomcom-20200216-history
October 2002
Bureaucracy, Finance, Health, Industry The search for a replacement for Sean Bowden continues, but so far the search has been to no avail, with many somewhat understandably reluctant to take the offer up. More information has been released regarding the manner of Bowden’s breakdown to the potential candidates, all of who have then declined the offer. It seems that in addition to his physical breakdown, Bowden also suffered what doctors described as “Aggravated Mental Stress”. The source of the stress is still being argued, but experts have stated that it is unlikely that this was caused solely by the travails of the job, as anyone who gets involved in politics knows the pressures they may face. Occult, Street, Underworld As Castelan’s investigations into the theft of artefacts from the university dig site continues, it is rumoured that both the Sandernacht and the Gambino’s have begun their own. Both groups are supposed to have used occult in the past and are said to be somewhat disturbed by the manner in which the theft is supposed to have taken place. The problem for both groups however, is the same one that’s puzzling Castelan, with none of the traditional evidence and no video footage of the crime, where would you begin your investigation? Church, Finance, Media, Police, Politics Has the church lost all of its power in the city? It would seem so, with both Castelan and the city’s councillors severing any links with them. Castelan were hoping to use local religious groups as a “character reference” during the investigation into their recent actions. However, since Castelan have been cleared of all allegations, they no longer have any need for them, so have stopped their controversial funding agreement leading the church to look for alternative funding elsewhere. The council doesn’t appear to be interested either, stating that it has enough financial difficulties of its own to deal with at the moment. Legal, Media, Police, Politics Castelan have been cleared of all charges of neglect following their actions to stop a terrorist group earlier in the year. Legal council stated that Castelan had acted “with all the force that was felt necessary”, after it emerged that the convoy transporting the two suspects was attacked by a third force. Furthermore, they were deigned to be acting under the jurisdiction of government forces, although the exact nature of what department has not been released due to the Official Secrets Act. The action effectively ends all possibility of criminal prosecution of the group, although a number of civil actions are still to be resolved. Finance, Industry, Legal, Media, Police, Politics Following the decision to drop all criminal charges against Castelan, share prices in their parent company GAOM rose sharply, as stockholders once again tried to gain a foothold in what is still seen as a lucrative business. Although a number of civil actions remain, it seems unlikely that the outcome of these will be damaging to the overall financial status of the company. With the rise once again of GAOM’s fortunes, it is hoped that the economic stability of the city will also improve. High Society, Media, Police, Politics, University Artefacts from the university dig site continue to surface on the black market, leading to speculation that many are actually fakes. So far the majority of the genuine items that have appeared on the market have been bought by anonymous buyers, who then return them to the university. Whilst it seems likely that the majority of these people are merely philanthropists, some speculate that the wealthy industrialists who have got involved are merely trying to gain a political foothold within the university. Once again the level of industrial involvement in local politics is under the spotlight. Media, Police, Street, University Figures show that levels of street crime have fallen in the Shelton area over the past few months, despite the lack of policing by Castelan in the area. Castelan were criticised earlier in the year for their apparent lack of interest in policing poorer areas of the city, especially around the universities, where a number of well publicised attacks occurred. So far the drop seems to be predominantly in the drug dealing community, with both prostitution and other crimes being left alone. Castelan are said to be investigating the matter, but given their lack of interest in the past this seems unlikely. What is for sure is that someone has decided to take an interest in the area. High Society, Media, Occult Rumours continue to circulate about the supposed existence of a Crimson Jihad (sic) in the city, although who they are and what they want remains a point of conjecture. Some within the more fringe aspects of the local community claim that the group is merely a front, either for a more hidden group or for a number of groups. The theory seems to be gaining some ground in the media, who are devoting a number of column inches each day to trying to ascertain more about the group. Whether any of this information is correct or not remains a different matter, but it is certainly keeping the public interested. Finance, High Society, Police, Transport, Underworld Once again it is becoming difficult to get contraband into the city, with Castelan becoming wise to the new methods being employed and taking steps to stop them. It seems that the increase in boat traffic along the city’s waterways can be attributed to an, as yet unknown, individual who funded their re-opening through a number of dummy companies. Further investigation by Castelan seems to indicate that letterheads for a number of companies were faked as means of securing capital from banks to fund the venture, although all companies involved have been cleared of any negligence. Since the findings were released both the banks and the companies involved have agreed to honour the funding in hope of increasing the tourist trade in the city. What shareholders will have to say about this remains to be seen, but it is sure put those involved in a better spotlight. Finance, Underworld The companies named in the trafficking of illegal contraband into the city have shouldered the cost of the revitalisation of the canals out a sense of embarrassment, after it emerged that the fraud may have occurred due to poor security on their part. Overall, security of both physical locations and computer systems seems to have been improved since the occurrence, but enterprising souls may still be able to make a quick buck out of the situation.